One of the main problems, I believe, with the value of our buses is that a higher dollar amount usually means financing. To my knowledge banks dont finance old buses (even recent beautifully converted ones), or at least they are hard to find...... and then the insurance problem too.
Actually, banks won't loan on anything older than 10 years, so even newer old buses won't get you a regular bank loan! When we bought the Prevost, we were deciding between borrowing some of the money, and our bank told us they would not loan on the Prevost....they would give us a signature loan for that amount though, hahaha. I asked, "so you'd rather have NO collateral than the bus?..". He laughed and said "I know, it sounds crazy but the underwriters have rules and they just look at the loan parameters, not the loan applicant, so they won't accept the loan with the bus listed as collateral."
Now, having said that, of course, you can go non-bank routes for financing, but often the rates can be considerably higher.
As for insurance, you can not insure the bus for more than it is worth, but you CAN get an official appraisal and insure the bus for that amount. For example, the 4107 that we are selling for $35,000, is appraised and insured for $50,000, because we had a thorough appraisal done. You can get any bus appraised for as little as $175, but to get an accurate appraisal, be prepared to provide TONS of pictures and many, many specific details on components. Christy Hicks
